Smart key system question...

On the 2010 Prius II and III can you open the hatch having the key in your pocket or is the key fob the only way to open hatch ? What if the car is unlocked is there a release on the rear hatch of the car ? I have an Infiniti and it has "smart key" buttons on both front doors and the hatch but if the car is locked you can open the hatch just by grabbing the outer hatch release without pushing the smart key button on the hatch or the key fob.

 

For a car that is supposed to be high tech and user friendly, their SKS and FOB is not very intuitive. Why can't Toyota just make a key and lock that works like any other key and lock since the history of time?

My own dealer couldn't figure out why the 2010 Prius II will only unlock the drivers door and not the hatch via SKS. Then he tried to use the FOB's unlock button to open the hatch and that didn't work for him either. This is new for me and he has been driving only the high end 2009 Prius, so he expected all doors will open, which is a reasonable assumption by common sense. It wasn't until after I got home with the new car and reading the the manual that I find out you have to press the unlock button twice. The first push doesn't count. How stupid is that?

I know you can get it reprogrammed by your dealer to make the FOB work more intuitively. But if Toyota knows the locks can be made more simple to use, why didn't they just do it in the first place instead of trying to get people to pay their dealers crazy fees to make something that should have been done at the factory?

 

lots of cars remotes work that way, where the first push unlocks the drivers door and the second push unlocks all. So their design is not unusual at all. At least you can have it changed so the first push opens all. Not all cars give you that option.

 

By Toyota's own SKS design, the driver never needs to push a button on the FOB to get into the car, as it will automatically unlock the drivers door when he is near the driver's side front door. So the only time he will reach for the FOB will be to open the Passenger side door or the back hatch. So that means the FOB should default to 1 push to open those other doors.

I have purchased several after market remote door locks in the past for my other cars and they all open with 1 push button, as that is the most common sense thing to operate a door. If you want to open a specific door, then you push the other buttons on the remote that corresponds to the other door.

It is not an good option when that option will cost you money and waste of time with the dealer. Yes, other cars don't let you reprogram the lock system becaus they are designed correctly from the start to open with 1 push of the button. I see no good reason for Toyota's design other than to let the dealer exploit the customers with unecessary 'corrections'

 

Are you sure they are charging for this change. I was thinking this would be free...To adjust key setting and turn of reverse beep and etc. Does anybody know for sure? I would be angry also after buying a car that they could not adjust it the way I like it for free.

 

I suspect the SKS was designed this way as a person safety feature.

For example, what if you are parked in a public garage and someone is lurking near the passenger door? If pressing the buttton on the key fob (or unlocking the driver's door with the SKS) automatically unlocked all doors, the lurker could jump into the car. The default option is to only unlock the driver's door, which would make this scenario much more difficult. If you need to unlock both doors (i.e. there is a person you know waiting on the passenger's side), you just have to press the key fob twice.

If you are not concerned about this possible problem, you can have the system reprogrammed to automatically unlock all doors when you press the button on the fob.

I currently have a 2004 Prius. The only thing I find inconvenient about the SKS is the way it works when the car is running. If I stop the car, leave it running, and walk around to the back to unload an item (carrying the key fob), I can't open the hatch. I have to manually unlock the doors when I leave the car. Again, I suspect this is a safety feature.

 

If the car is unlocked, Can you open the rear hatch? Is there an outside release button or handle on the hatch or do you need the key every time with the Prius II and III ?

 

The SKS is a great feature. Once you have it you will wonder why all doors don't work the same way, especially the front door of your hourse. My key fob never comes out of my pocket.

Part of the confusion stated above comes from a change made with the 2010 model. With the Gen II Prius, you either had the SKS for both front doors and hatch, or you had the dumb fob which worked like any normal fob. With the 2010, the SKS was added to all models, but to keep costs down, the SKS only works with the driver's door on the lower packages. The higher level packages work like the Gen II fob, with minor button changes to the doors.

Tom

 

Every car I've ever used that had a remote unlock works that way. (Historically, the explanation is that it's a safety feature to not unlock ALL doors by default and it makes sense to me, though it's probably very unlikely that you'll be in a situation where there is someone on the other side of your car who would jump into the passenger seat and carjack you.)

 

Okay, I get the one door - three door difference, but can anyone explain how the SKS works with the hatch? Does the fob just unlock it and then I still have to touch the car to open it?

I have had a minivan with auto-open slide doors and rear hatch for several years. I press the fob and by the time I get to the car I don't have to touch anything to put stuff in the car. Closing everything is another push of a button. At 4'9" I can hardly reach the rear open hatch door anyway. It is kind of a necessity for me. I look like a complete idiot when I try to jump up to catch the handle of the hatch and miss! I guess that's why I never played basketball. My 6'1" husband has many great laughs watching me.

 

Yes, there's a rubberized button under the area where you grip the rear hatch to open it. I believe the car has to be unlocked (Prius III) to press the button and open the hatch.

 

Using the SKS with the hatch works like this:

1) Press quickly on the hatch handle, all three doors unlock.

2) Press and hold on the hatch handle, all three doors unlock AND the hatch pops open.

The hatch is not powered. You still need to lift it, although it is easy to do.

Tom

 

Agreed--first thing I did as well.

I also had the dealer change the settings so if I use the remote or mechanical key to unlock, it unlocks all the doors (not just the drivers, which is the default).

 

Okay, now I am really confused! If the 1 key SKS (II/III) can be reprogrammed to open all the doors with one push of the button, then what is the advantage of having the 3 key SKS (IV/V)? It's obvious I don't have my car yet, but I would really like to understand why I paid so much more for this feature on the IV.

 

With the 3 door SKS, you can unlock the car by touching the handle on any of the 3 doors (drivers, front passenger, or hatch), as opposed to only the drivers door.

 

That doesn't sound like it is that much of an advantage. If the doors are unlocked with one push of a button as with the 1 key SKS, then why is it so much different to be able to touch each door using your finger? Where does the fob need to be when all this locking & unlocking is being done?

I must be dumb as dirt (as my kids keep reminding me) b/c I just don't get the difference. Would someone be willing to do a blow by blow comparison on the difference between the 1 key & 2 key SKS for this thick skulled learner?

 

The point is you don't have to push any buttons on the fob--since it's not in your hand.

The SKS (smart key system) is a system where you can keep the fob in your pocket, briefcase, purse, etc., so you just walk up to the car and touch a handle to unlock the car.

With the 3 doors system, as I said above, you can do this with 3 doors, as opposed to just the drivers door.

One example of an advantage of the 3 door SKS is you can unlock and open the hatch without having to touch the drivers door handle.

 

The difference in equipment is that 3-door SKS has transmitters and hand touch equipment in both front doors and the trunk, plus a transmitter inside the car. The 1-door SKS skips the transmitters/touch equipment on the passenger door and trunk.

As a practical matter, the only difference I would notice is with the trunk. Pressing buttons on the remote works for all locations, which is what the rest of the remote using world lives with anyway.

Note that SKS does not lock/unlock anything. What it does do is to enable the touch systems. So you unlock a door by actually touching the door handle, and lock it by touching the sensor. Same thing with the ignition. When the keyfob is detected inside the car, then the Power button can be pressed.

The buttons on the keyfob actually lock/unlock the doors/trunk.